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P.T. Cole Park Murderer Sentenced to Life in Prison

Posted/updated on: August 29, 2014 at 10:31 am

TYLER — Judge Jack Skeen sentenced a man convicted of murder in last summer’s P.T. Cole Park shooting to life in prison Thursday morning. KETK reports Dennis Bendy was found guilty by a Smith County jury August 12 in the murder of 20-year-old Briana Young. The victim was killed after she was caught in crossfire with her 3-year-old son at the park on Tyler’s west side. During the trial, the state said Elisha Williams fired the fatal shot but Bendy had also fired eight bullets from his 9mm Glock. In the closing arguments, state prosecutors argued Bendy could be found guilty as an individual or as a party with transferred intent: if a group has intent to cause harm and a felony is committed, everyone in the group can be charged. Rakheem Goldstein and Elisha Williams are also charged with murder in this case. A fourth suspect, Ke’Avier Jarrod Wilson-Hurd, was no-billed.